Life-saving apparatus.



A. GREEN. LIFE SAVING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. 23, 1912.

1,054,532, Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

(cu-mam Moanmm cm, nun-um. D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

AUGUSTUS GREEN, OF GREER, SOUTH CAROLINA.

LIFE-SAVING APPARATUS.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUSTUS GREEN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Greer, in the county of Greenville and State of SouthCarolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Life-Saving Apparatus; and I do declare the following to be a full, clear,and exact description of the invention, such as will enable othersskilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

This invention relates to improvements in life saving apparatus.

One ob ect of the invention is to provide a lifesaving apparatuscomprising a net having an improved supporting mechanism which when notin use may be folded into small compactform and which may be quickly andeasily opened to support the net in an operative position. I

Another object is to provide an improved construction and arrangement ofbraces for firmly holding the net supporting mechanism in operativeposition, and means whereby should the braces break, the net supportingmechanism may be manually held in posit-ion for supporting the net.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, and the combination and arrangement ofparts as will be more fully described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure l is a side view of my improvedlife saving net showing the parts arranged in operative position; Fig. 2is a top plan view thereof; Fig. 3 is an end viewof one end of theapparatus; Fig. 4 is a central vertical cross sectional view thereof;Fig. 5 is a side view showing the parts folded.

My improved life saving apparatus comprises a platform 1 which isadapted to be applied to or may itself form the body or platform of awheeled vehicle, the same being here shown as forming the platform of.

the vehicle and as supported by front and rear wheels 2. The vehicle maybe drawn by horse power or may be in the form of a motor driven vehicle.

Arranged on the platform 1 near the front and rear ends thereof arehinge bars or cleats 3 having on their ends trunnions 4 to which arepivotally connected the lower ends of the side bars 5 of net supportingframes 6. The side bars 5 of the frames are connected near their ends byupper and lower Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 28, 1912.

Patented Feb. 25, 1913.

Serial No. 686,925.

cross bars 7 between which are arranged crossed diagonal brace bars 8.Between the projecting upper ends of the side bars of one of the frames6 is secured a stationary net supporting roller 9 while between theprojecting upper ends of the side bars of the other frame 6 is revolublymounted a net supporting and winding roller 10. The roller 10 isprovided on one end with a crank handle 11 whereby the roller isrevolved to wind the net thereon. Connected at its ends to the rollers 9and 10 and adapted to be wound on the latter is a life saving net 12,which when the frames are in an operative position will be stretchedbetween the frames and above the platform in position to receive orcatch any one falling or jumping from an elevation such as the upperwindows or roof of a burning building, said net thus forming aneffective means for catching the person thus falling or jumping, withoutinjury.

In order to firmly hold the net supporting frame in an open or operativeposition, I provide braces 13 which are in the form of bale or yokeshaped frames of sufficient size to embrace or receive the frame 6 whenswung to open positions. The side bars of the braces are pivotallyengaged at their inner ends with the ends of a brace attaching rod 14which is secured across the center of the platform 1 and has its endsprojecting a suitable distance beyond the sides of the platform toreceive the ends of the side bars of the braces; The ends of the sidebars of the braces are held in operative engagement with the ends of therods 14 by nuts 15 or other suitable fastening devices. In the loweredges of the side bars of the braces near the outer ends of the latterare formed series of notches 16 which are adapted to engage the ends ofthe latch members 1? arranged across and secured to the inner sides ofthe frames 6 above the center thereof as shown. The ends of the pawl orlatch members 17 are continued upwardly at an angle across the outersides of the side bars 5 of the frames 6 and have the extremities oftheir ends secured to the outer edges of said side bars to form guideloops 18 with which the side bars of the braces 13 are loosely engaged,said loops guiding and holding the braces in position for engaging thenotches therein with the ends of the latch member as shown.

In addition to the braces 13, I also provide means whereby thesupporting frames may be manually held up in an operative position forsupporting the not should either of the braces become broken. The meansfor manually holding the frames in an operative position comprise cablesor guy ropes 19, the inner ends of which are branched and suit-ablysecured to the upper cross bar of the frames while the outer ends of thecables are of sufficient length to permit the same to be grasped andheld by a number of firemen or other persons whereby the frames are heldup to support the net in a properly stretched condition. It will benoted that the inner ends of the opposite side bars of the braces areconnected to the same supporting bar or red at points adjacent to eachother and that said side bars when thus connected practically pushagainst each other, and thereby form rigid braces for the supportingframes of the net. By providing a series of notches in the side bars ofthe braces the net supporting frames may be adjusted to compensate forany stretching of the net, thus enabling the frames to hold the net atthe proper tension.

When the apparatus is not in use the braces are disengaged from thelatch member, and the supporting frames folded downwardly and inwardlyonto the platform. When in this position the net may be Wound upon itsloose supporting roller or may be permitted to fold loosely onto theplatform beneath the supporting frames. lVhen the parts are folded inthis manner the vehicle may be employed for carrying other apparatus andfiremen to fires.

From the foregoing description taken in connection with the accompanyingdraw ings, the construction and operation of the invention will bereadily understood without requiring a more extended explanation.

Various changes in the form, proportion and the minor details ofconstruction may be resorted to without departing from the principle orsacrificing any of the advantages of the invention as claimed.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is;

1. A life saving apparatus of the character described comprising aplatform, not supporting frames hingedly secured to said platform andadapted to be swung to operative and inoperative positions, a netsecured to said frames and adapted to be stretched and held in anoperative position by said frames, frame supporting braces pivotallysecured at their inner ends to said 'platform and adapted to embracesaid frames, a latch member secured to said frames, and means on saidbraces to engage said stop bars whereby the frames are adjust-ably heldin position to support said net.

2. A life saving apparatus comprising a platform, net supporting frameshingedly secured to said platform, a net secured at its adjustablysupport said net holding frames in operative positions.

3. A life saving apparatus comprising a wheeled truck, a platformarranged thereon, net supporting frames hingedly secured to saidplatform, a net connected at its ends to said frames, a brace attachingrod secured to the platform, braces pivotally con nected vat their innerends to the ends of engaged with the ends of the stop bars to v saidcross bar, means whereby said braces are adjustably engaged with saidframes to hold the latter in position for supporting said net, andcables connected to said frames whereby the latter may be held inoperative positions to support the net should said braces become broken.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing Wit-' nesses.

AUGUSTUS GREEN. WVitnesses:

A. H. MILLER, C. C. GRIFFIN.

copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of latents, f

Washington, D. G.

